I've been thinking about getting a dress form, and I was wondering if you have any input. Although I did have some luck making a duct tape dress form a couple years ago, I have since lost weight and the duct tape form wasn't ideal in a lot of ways anyway (stinky duct tape smell, falling apart, easy to smoosh). I think a proper dress form is in order. Do you have a dress form? What features do you like? Anything you wish were different?

So far from what little reading I've done, I don't think Uniquely You is for me (a foam form with an alterable cover that compresses it to your size) - too many people talking about having to carve the foam into shape, which sounds like it could be disastrous. It would be nice to have one that's adjustable to some extent for weight loss/gain or perhaps sewing for a similar-sized friend. It looks like a Dritz My Double (maybe the Deluxe version, which can also be used for pants) would fit the bill, but I'm still mulling it over.

I have one by Dritz that's adjustable but it doesn't conform to my shape & is only adjustable to a certain point. The bust is not in the right spot nor is the waist or hips. It's okay but far from making things easier or getting a better fit. I want to get a new one by Pgm or one of the Wolf dress forms. Megabucks, I'm sure. Go to http://www.allbrands.com & click on the link for dressforms to get an idea of what is on the market & prices plus reviews.Marty

Just this morning dh was concerned that he couldn't come up with anything for me for Xmas. I'm watching this thread since I'm curious and looking for just what you describe, Kaitlin. I think it's a tough decision to make unless you want to spend hundreds. I keep thinking ebay or craig's list is the way to go but I'd like to know what I'm looking for.

Lennie

The Man who says it can't be done should not Interrupt the Woman doing it.

I have an older dritz form which isn't too bad. Like Marty said, the bust points aren't quite right, nor are the shoulders, but it's pretty good for most fitting, though i still need to have someone help me with fitting, specially from the back. I'd like one that is for mature women (Gosh I can't believe I'm saying that)as some items have slipped lower (read as sagging) which makes fitting clothes with bust darts a lot more difficult.

LauraGo Canucks!Asking a quilter to mend something is like asking Picasso to paint your garage

Thanks for the input, Marty. I'm a little confused, though - it looks like the PGM and Wolf dress forms only come in standard sizes. Is there an adjustable one that I've missed? Or maybe you're thinking one of their pre-defined shapes might match you better?

I've been poking around on Pattern Review and found this page from one of my favorite sewing gurus, Debbie Cook: Padding your dressform. She padded it to make it match her shape better. I think I would probably end up doing this, at least in some areas. Here is her review of the My Double Deluxe dress form: Debbie's dress form review on Pattern Review. I think that might be what I'll go with.

It is a cheap one, and I bout mine for $99 from hancocks this fall, it looks like they were on clearance when I bought mine, as they don't carry these any more. I have not padded mine yet, but I do have the polyester quilt batting to use for it. I think that the idea is to set the adjustments one or two clicks below your measurements and then pad til the are correct so that you have something to pin to? I figured that this one was a cheap starter one that I could use and was adjustable for those "weight fluctuations" that I seem to have. The up and down measurements are not quite the same as my own, but they are close enough for me right now.

I think that one of mine is a Dritz. I have never purchased one new, always used from garage sales. Mine only has 3 adjustment spots, so I use boob cups and batting to adjust and change for a general fitting. I still like to have a second set of eyes and hands for the final fitting.

I have one that is very old, she is called Opal, that has all of the adjustments that are listed for pattern adjustments. I like opal the best. On the inside she has thumb screws that you can move the pieces about to fit you. I have had her since DS was a baby and would love to find another just like her.

I know that if you go to Atlanta threads or Ely you can look at theirs. Some of them are much more adjustable.

GL

Leighanna"To love what you do and feel that it matters -- how could anything be more fun?"Katharine Graham - Washington Post